Department Director Reprimanded

Liz Gullett

Aug 09, 2019

The Michigan Civil Rights Commission voted to reprimand Agustin Arbulu, Director of the Department of Civil Rights, for comments they deemed inappropriate. Following the vote, Commission Chairwoman Alma Wheeler Smith issued the following statement, “We have determined that while the conduct of which the director was accused did not violate the law, his behavior fell short of the conduct the Commission expects of its Director. The Commission has determined that a formal reprimand will be placed in the Director’s file, that he shall submit to a training and mentorship program to be approved by the chair and completed before the end of the year, and during that training period the Director shall not conduct internal or external training sessions for other public or private entities.” The Director of Civil Rights is appointed by the Civil Rights Commission.

Since that vote, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and House Democratic Leader Christine Greig (D-Farmington Hills) have called on Director Arbulu to resign.

The Michigan Department of Civil Rights, the operational arm of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, is charged with investigating and resolving discrimination complaints and working to prevent discrimination through educational programs that promote voluntary compliance with civil rights laws.

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